My thoughts on the Phillies season.

Results tagged ‘ David Herndon ’

The Phils come back home from an awful weekend and proceed to rout the Mets, 10-0.

The Phils took the lead in the second as, with a runner on second, and with two men out, Wilson Valdez hits an RBI single, knocking in Hunter Pence, who had earlier singled, then went to second base on Dillon Gee’s wild pitch, giving the Phils a 1-0 lead. Two batters later, now with two men on, as Cliff Lee got on base with a single, sending Valdez up to second base, and still with two men out, Shane Victorino hits a two-run triple, knocking in both Valdez and Lee, giving the Phils a 3-0 lead. The Phils then took a 5-0 lead in the third as, with one man on, and with two men out, John Mayberry. Jr. hits a two-run home run, his eleventh home run of the season, scoring Pence, who had just walked. The Phils then added to their lead in the fourth as, with the bases loaded, via walks to Victorino, Placido Polanco, and Pence, and with two men out, Mayberry forced in a run with a walk, scoring Victorino, giving the Phils a 6-0 lead, while sending Polanco on to third base, and Pence up to second base, leaving the bases loaded. The Phils then made it an 8-0 lead as Carlos Ruiz followed with a two-run single, scoring both Polanco and Pence, while sending Mayberry on to third base. The Phils then made it a 10-0 lead in the sixth as, with one man on, and with nobody out, Pence hits a two-run home run, his sixteenth home run of the year, and his fifth as a Phil, scoring Ryan Howard, who had earlier singled. That would end up being the final score, as Lee and David Herndon would combine for a five-hit shut out.

Cliff Lee (14-7, 2.71) got the win as he pitched seven shutout innings, giving up only three hits and three walks, while striking out seven. David Herndon pitched two scoreless innings, giving up two hits, while he struck out one. Dillon Gee (11-5, 4.37) took the lost as he went just three and two-thirds innings, giving up eight runs on seven hits and six walks, while striking out three. Ryota Igarashi pitched two and a third innings, giving up two runs on four hits, while striking out a batter. D.J. Carrasco pitched two 1-2-3 innings, striking out a batter.

The Phils had eleven hits in the ballgame, with Placido Polanco (Singles), Hunter Pence (Single, Home Run, 2 RBIs) and Carlos Ruiz (Single, Double, 2 RBIs) all leading the team with two hits each. Shane Victorino (Triple, 2 RBIs), Ryan Howard (Single), John Mayberry, Jr, (Home Run, 3 RBIs), Wilson Valdez (Single, RBI) and Cliff Lee (Single), had the other five Phils’ hits.

The Phils (82-44, 1st) will continue their series with the Mets (60-67, 4th) with a night game tonight. The game will be played at Citizens Bank Park and will start at 7:05 pm EDT. The Phils will send to the mound Vance Worley (8-1, 2.76) who is coming off a no-decision against the Diamondbacks on August 18, as he pitched three strong innings, before being taken out of the game because of a long rain delay, as he gave up only a hit, while striking out two, in the Phils’ 4-1 win. He will be trying to handle the Mets, while continuing on from his previous start. The Mets will counter with Jon Niese (11-10, 4.05), who is coming off a lost to the Padres on August 16, as he went six innings, giving up three runs on ten hits, while he struck out three in the Mets’ 6-1 lost. He will be trying to even up the series for the Mets. The Phils will be going out to win the series.

The Phils, after having to wait over two hours for the rain to leave, win their eightieth game, as they beat the D-backs, 4-1.

The Phils took the lead in the second as, with two men on, and with two me out, Wilson Valdez hits an RBI double, knocking in Raul Ibanez. who had earlier doubled, while sending Brian Schneider, who had just walked, on to third base, giving the Phils a 1-0 lead. The Phils then made it a 3-0 lead in the third as, with one man on, and with nobody out, John Mayberry, Jr. hits a two-run home run, his tenth home run of the season, knocking in Jimmy Rollins, who had earlier singled. After the end of the inning, the ground crew put the tarp onto the infield, just moments before it started to rain, at times coming down in buckets, delaying the game for over two hours before play finally resumed. The Phils then added to their lead in the fifth as, with one man on, and with two men out, Ibanez hits an RBI double, knocking in Chase Utley, who had earlier doubled, giving the Phils a 4-0 lead. The D-backs got on the board in the eighth as Paul Goldschmidt hits a solo home run, his fourth home run of the season, cutting the Phils’ lead down to 4-1. That would end up being the final score as Ryan Madson collected his twenty-third save of the year as he pitched a 1-2-3 ninth.

Vance Worley received a no-decision as he pitched three strong innings, before the two-hour plus rain delay, giving up just a hit, while striking out two. David Herndon (1-2, 3.79) got the win as he pitched three scoreless innings after the deluge, giving up a hit, while striking out four. Michael Stutes pitched an inning plus one batter, giving up a run on a hit and a walk, while striking out a batter. Antonio Bastardo collected his thirteenth hold of the year as he pitched a scoreless inning, striking out two. Ryan Madson received his twenty-third save of the year as he pitched a 1-2-3 inning, striking out a batter. Ian Kennedy (15-4, 3.22) took the lost as he also pitched only three innings, thanks to the long rain delay, giving up three runs on five hits and two walks, while striking out four. Micah Owings also pitched three innings after the rain had stopped, giving up a run on two hits and a walk, while he struck out four. Bryan Shaw, Joe Paterson and David Hernandez combined for two scoreless innings, giving up a walk (Shaw), while striking out a batter (Shaw) between them.

The Phils had seven hits in the ballgame, with both Chase Utley (Single, Double) and Raul Ibanez (Doubles, RBI) both leading the team with two hits apiece. Jimmy Rollins (Single), John Mayberry, Jr. (Home Run, 2 RBIs) and Wilson Valdez (Double, RBI), had the other three Phils’ hits. This would be the first game, since the trade, in which Hunter Pence would not get a hit, and the Phils would end up winning the game.

The Phils (80-42, 1st) will now begin a short three-game road trip with the Nats (59-63, 4th), starting tonight with a night game. The game will be played at Nationals Park and will start at 7:05 pm EDT. The Phils will send to the mound Roy Oswalt (5-7, 3.84), who is coming off a win against the Nats on August 13, as he pitched seven innings, giving up three runs on six hits and a walk, while he struck out five, in the Phils’ 11-3 rout. He will be going for his second straight win since coming off the DL. The Nats will counter with Livan Hernandez (7-11, 4.21), who is coming off a win against the Phils on August 12, as he went six and two-thirds innings, giving up an unearned run on four hits and a walk, while striking out three, in the Nats’ 4-2 win. He hopes to once again stifle the Phils’ offense. The Phils plan to increase their present winning streak at the Nats expense.

The Phils come back from falling behind 6-0 before holding on to sweep the Dodgers, 9-8, ending their 9-1 road trip, the best in the team’s history, on a high note.

The Dodgers jump into the lead in the first as, with two men on, and with one man out, Matt Kemp hits an RBI single, knocking in Casey Blake, who had earlier walked, then went up to second base on Andre Ethier’s walk, giving the Dodgers a 1-0 lead, while sending Ethier, who had just walked, up to second base. The Dodgers then made it a 4-0 lead as Juan Rivera hits a three-run home run, his eighth home run of the year, knocking in both Ethier and Kemp. Two batters later, after James Loney had walked, the Dodgers took a 5-0 lead as Dioner Navarro hits an RBI double, scoring Loney, before he is thrown out trying to stretch his double into a triple, 9-4-3-5, for the inning’s second out. The Phils tried to score in the third as, with two men on, and with one man out, Chase Utley hits a fly ball to center that was caught by center fielder Kemp, for the inning’s second out, who then threw home to try and cut down Jimmy Rollins, who had earlier singled, then stopped at third base on Shane Victorino’s ground-rule double. Kemp’s throw, after being grabbed by first baseman Loney, beats Rollins to the plate, who is then tagged out by the catcher Navarro, for the inning’s final out, 8-3-2, thus ending the Phils’ threat. The Dodgers then added to their lead in their half of the third as, with runners on the corners, and with one man out, Navarro hits a sacrifice fly, scoring Kemp, who had earlier doubled, then stopped at third on Rivera’s single, giving the Dodgers a 6-0 lead. The Phils then started their comeback. The Phils got onto the scoreboard in the fourth as, with one man on, and with nobody out, Hunter Pence hits a two-run home run, his fourteenth home run of the season, and his third as a Phil, knocking in Ryan Howard, who had lead-off the inning with a walk, making it a 6-2 Dodgers’ lead. Four batters later, with a man on second, and with two men out, Vance Worley helped himself with an RBI single, knocking in Michael Martinez, who had earlier reached base on a Loney fielding error, cutting the Dodgers’ lead down to 6-3. The Phils then cut the Dodgers’ lead down to 6-4 as, with two men on, and with one man out, Pence reaches first base on third baseman Blake’s fielding error, as Victorino, who had earlier walked, then stopped at second base on Howard’s single, scores, while Howard, who had just singled, would stop at third base, while Pence would go on to second base. A batter later, the Phils made it a 6-5 Dodgers’ lead as Raul Ibanez hits an RBI ground out, 3-unassisted, knocking in Howard, while sending Pence on to third. The Dodgers added to their lead in their half of the fifth as, with one man on, and with one man out, Loney hits an RBI double, scoring Rivera, who had just singled, making it a 7-5 Dodgers’ lead. The Phils tied the game up at seven-all in the sixth as, with two men on, and with two men out, Utley hits a two-run single, scoring pinch hitter Ben Francisco, who had earlier walked, then stopped at third on Rollins’ single, and Rollins, who had earlier singled, then stole second base. The Phils then took the lead as Howard hits a two-run home run, his twenty-fifth home run of the season, scoring Utley, giving the Phils a 9-7 lead. The Dodgers made it a 9-8 Phils’ lead in the ninth as, with runners on the corners, and with one man out, Rivera hits into an RBI force out, 4-6, wiping out Kemp, who had just singled, at second base, for the inning’s second out, while scoring Blake, who had earlier singled, then had stopped at third on Kemp’s single. That would be the final score as Ryan Madson then recorded his twenty-second save of the season by getting pinch hitter Rod Barajas to fly out to center for the final out.

Vance Worley received a no-decision as he went four innings, giving up six runs on seven hits and three walks, while striking out six. Kyle Kendrick (7-5, 3.26) gets the win as he pitches an inning, giving up a run on two hits, as he struck out two. David Herndon received his fourth hold of the year as he pitched a 1-2-3 inning. Brad Lidge recorded his second hold of the season as he pitched a third of an inning, giving up a hit and a walk, while striking out a batter. Antonio Bastardo received his eleventh hold of the year as he pitched an inning and two-thirds, striking out a batter. Ryan Madson recorded his twenty-second save of the season as he went an inning, giving up a run on two hits. Chad Billingsley also received a no-decision as he pitched four and a third innings, giving up five runs, only three of which were earned, on seven hits and three walks. Hong-Chih Kuo pitched an inning, giving up a run on a hit and a walk, while striking out a batter. Blake Hawsworth blew his first save attempt of the year before taking the lost (2-3, 3.57), as he pitched a third of an inning, giving up a run on three hits, while striking out one. Matt Guerrier, Mike MacDougal and Javy Guerra combined for three and one-thirds scoreless innings, giving up a hit (Guerrier) and a walk (Guerra), while striking out three (Guerrier (2), Guerra (1)), between them.

The Phils had eleven hits in the ballgame, with Jimmy Rollins (Singles), Shane Victorino (Single, Double), and Ryan Howard (Single, Home Run, 2 RBIs), all leading the team with two hits each. Chase Utley (Single, 2 RBIs), Hunter Pence (Home Run, 2 RBIs), Raul Ibanez (Single, RBI), Brian Schneider (Single) and Vance Worley (Single, RBI), had the other five Phils’ hits, as the offense bailed out Worley on their way to defeating the Dodgers. The other Phil run came in on Blake’s error.

The Phils (77-40, 1st East) have the day off as they come home from LA, as they end a 9-1 road trip, one of their most successful road trip in the club’s history.

In spite of a short brawl in the sixth inning, the Phils continue their present winning ways as they crush the World Champs, 9-2.

The Giants took the lead in the first as, with runners on the corners, and with one man out, Pablo Sandoval hits a sacrifice fly, knocking in Jeff Keppinger, who had earlier walked, then went to third on Carlos Beltran’s single, giving the Giants a 1-0 lead. The Phils tied the game up at one-all in the fourth as, with one man out, Shane Victorino hits a solo home run, his eleventh home run of the season. The Phils then took the lead as, with runners on the corners, and with one man out, Raul Ibanez hits an RBI force out, 4-6, as Chase Utley, who had earlier singled, then went to third on Hunter Pence’s single, scored as Pence, who had just singled, is wiped out at second base for the inning’s second out, giving the Phils a 2-1 lead, as Ibanez beat out the throw back to first. One batter later, the Phils’ took a 4-1 lead as John Mayberry, Jr. hits a two-run home run, his ninth home run of the season, knocking in Ibanez. The Phils then took a 5-1 lead in the fifth as, with one man on, and with one man out, Placido Polanco hits an RBI single, scoring Jimmy Rollins, who had earlier walked, then stole second base, before he is thrown out trying to go to second base to make sure that Rollins did score, 9-2-6, for the inning’s second out. The Giants got a run back in their half of the fifth as Eli Whiteside hits a solo home run, his fourth home run of the year, making it a 5-2 Phils’ lead. The Phils added to their lead in the sixth as, with two men on, and with one man out, Brian Schneider hits an RBI single, scoring Ibanez, who had earlier walked, then stopped at second base on Mayberry’s single, giving the Phils a 6-2 lead, while sending Mayberry, who had just singled, on to second base. Two batters later, after Vance Worley had pop bunt out on an excellent catch near home plate by Whiteside for the inning’s second out, both Schneider and Mayberry moved up a base on Ramon Ramirez’s wild pitch, with Rollins batting. Rollins then gave the Phils an 8-2 lead with an RBI single, scoring both Schneider and Mayberry. After Rollins stole second base, for his second steal of the night, Polanco got on base with an infield single, sending Rollins on to third. The next batter, Victorino, is then hit in the middle of the back by Ramirez, which would lead to both team emptying their benches and their bullpens, and then to a very short brawl, thanks in part to Whitestide tackling Polanco, just as it looked like things were about to cool down. This would lead to Ramirez, Whiteside and Victorino all being thrown out of the game, all now waiting for how hard they will each be punished for their actions. (Personally, I’m hoping that Ramirez and Whiteside will get the worst punishments. I mean: Ramirez, sore loser/man up, dude. Whiteside, this is not the WWF. Victorino, seriously, cool the temper, dude.) The Phils then made it a 9-2 lead in the seventh as Pence hits a lead-off solo home run, his thirteenth home run of the season. That would end up being the final score as David Herndon pitched an easy ninth.

Vance Worley (8-1, 2.35) gets the win as he pitched seven strong innings, as he ignored the fireworks in the sixth inning, giving up two runs on seven hits and a walk, while striking out six. Michael Stutes and David Herndon combine for two scoreless innings, giving up two hits (one hit each), while striking out a batter (Stutes). Jonathan Sanchez (4-6, 4.10) took the lost as he went four and two-thirds innings, giving up five runs on seven hits and two walks, while striking out four. Ramon Ramirez pitched an inning, before he is ejected from the game because of his involvement in the brawl, as he gave up three runs on four hits, a walk and a wild pitch. Jeremy Affeldt pitched an inning and a third, giving up a run on a hit, while he struck out one. Guillermo Mota and Brian Wilson combine for two scoreless innings, giving up a hit (Wilson) and two walks (one walk each), while striking out three (Mota (1), Wilson (2)) between them.

The Phils had thirteen hits in the ballgame, with Placido Polanco (Singles, RBI), Shane Victorino (Single, Home Run, RBI, before his ejection from the ballgame because of his involvement in the brawl), Hunter Pence (Single, Home Run, RBI) and John Mayberry, Jr. (Single, Home Run, 2 RBIs) all leading the team with two hits each. Jimmy Rollins (Single, 2 RBIs), Chase Utley (Single), Raul Ibanez (Double, RBI), Brian Schneider (Single, RBI) and Vance Worley (Single) had the other five Phils’ hits.

The Phils (73-39, 1st East) continue their series with the Giants (62-51, 1st West) with an afternoon game that will be televised on Fox. The game will start at 4:10 pn EDT (1:10 pm PDT). The Phils will start Cole Hamels (12-6, 2.62), who is coming off a no-decision against the Rockies on August 1, as he went six innings, giving up two runs on six hits and a walk, while striking out five, in the Phils’ 4-3 extra-innings win. He will once again be going for his thirteenth win, while trying to increase the Phils’ winning streak to nine games. The Giants will counter with Matt Cain (9-7, 3.10), who is coming off a lost to the Diamondbacks on August 1, as he went five and two-thirds innings, giving up five runs on eight hits and three walks, while striking out five, in the Giants’ 5-2 lost. He will be trying to stop the presently fast-running Phils. The Phils will be out to beat one of the Giants’ best starters to show who is the best team in the NL.

Kyle Kendrick threw eight strong innings in his final start as the Phils blank the Rockies, 5-0.

The Phils took a quick 1-0 lead in the first as, with runners on the corners, and with nobody out, Chase Utley hits an RBI ground out, 6-3, scoring Jimmy Rollins, who had started the game off with a four-pitch walk, then went to third on Shane Victorino’s single, while sending Victorino, who had just singled, up to second base. Two batters later, after Ryan Howard had moved Victorino over to third base on a ground out, 4-3, Hunter Pence gave the Phils a 2-0 lead by hitting an RBI double, scoring Victorino. The Phils added to their lead in the fourth as Howard hits a lead-off home run, his twenty-second home run of the year, giving the Phils a 3-0 lead. Three batters later, with runners once again on the corners, and with one man out, Brian Schneider hits a sacrifice fly, scoring Raul Ibanez, who had earlier singled, then went to third on Placido Polanco’s single, giving the Phils a 4-0 lead. The Phils then took a 5-0 lead in the eighth as Howard hits another lead-off home run, his twenty-third home run of the season, and his second of the ballgame. That would be all the runs that Kyle Kendrick would need, as he pitched eight shut out innings, giving up just four hits and two walks, which striking out a career high seven batters, before handing the ball over to David Herndon for a 1-2-3 ninth, to record the Phils’ fourteenth shut out of the year.

Kyle Kendrick (6-5, 3.19) got the win as he pitched eight shut out innings, giving up just four scattered hits and two walks, while he struck out a career high seven batters. David Herndon pitched a 1-2-3 inning. Aaron Cook (2-6, 5.34) took the lost as he pitched just four innings, before he is taken out of the game because of neck problems, as he gives up four runs on five hits and a walk, while he struck out two. Edgmer Escalona pitched three scoreless innings, giving up two hits and a walk, while striking out a batter. Matt Lindstrom pitched an inning, giving up a run on one hit and a walk, while striking out one. Matt Reynolds pitched a 1-2-3 inning.

The Phils had eight hits in the ballgame, with Ryan Howard (Home Runs, 2 RBI) and Hunter Pence (Single, Double, RBI), leading the team with two hits apiece. Shane Victorino, Raul Ibanez, Placido Polanco and Kyle Kendrick had the other four Phils’ hits, all singles. Chase Utley drove in one of the other two Phils’ runs with a ground out, while Brian Schneider brought in the other one with a sacrifice fly.

The Phils (70-39, 1st East) will today conclude their three-game series with the Rockies (51-29, 3rd West) with an afternoon game. The game will be played at Coors Field, and will start at 3:10 pm EDT (1:10 pm MDT). The Phils will send to the mound their ace Roy Halladay (13-4, 2.44), who is coming off a win against the Pirates on July 29, as he pitched seven shut out innings, giving up just one hit, while striking out five, in the Phils 10-3 rout. He will be going after his fourtenth win of the year, while trying to pitch the Phils into their second straight series sweep. The Rockies will send out Jason Hammel (6-10, 4.65), who is coming off a win against the Padres on July 29, as he went six and one-third innings, giving up two runs on five hits and three walks, while striking out five, in the Rox’s 3-2 win. He will be trying to keep the Rockies from being swept. The Phils will be trying to keep up the momentum before they head off to San Francisco for four games with the presently slumping Giants.

A walk-off double by Raul Ibanez, knocking in Hunter Pence, gives the Phils a three-game sweep as they defeat the Pirates in ten innings, 6-5.

The Phils took the lead in the second as, with one man out, Raul Ibanez hits a solo home run, his fifteenth home run of the season, giving the Phils a 1-0 lead. The Pirates took the lead in the fifth as, with two men on, and with two men out, Xavier Paul hits a two-run single, knocking in Brandon Wood, who had earlier singled, stopped at second base on Eric Fryer’s single, then went to third on Jeff Karstens’ sacrifice bunt, 1-4, and Fryer, who had earlier singled, then stopped at second base on Karstens’ sac bunt, giving the Pirates a 2-1 lead. The Phils regained the lead in their half of the fifth as, with two men on, and with one man out, Jimmy Rollins hits an RBI single, knocking in Brian Schneider, who had earlier doubled, then stopped at third base on Michael Martinez’s single, and Martinez, who had earlier singled, then moved up to second base on Vance Worley’s sacrifice bunt, 1-3, giving the Phils a 3-2 lead. The Pirates retook the lead in the sixth as, with one man on, and with two men out, Lyle Overbay hits a two-run home run, his eighth home run of the year, scoring Neil Walker, who had earlier singled, giving the Pirates a 4-3 lead. The Pirates added to their lead in the seventh as, with a runner on second, and with two men out, Garrett Jones hits an RBI double, scoring Fryer, who had earlier walked, then moved up to second base on Karstens’ second sac bunt of the game, giving the Pirates a 5-3 lead. The Phils would tie the game up at five-all in the eighth as, with one man on, and with two men out, Ibanez hits a two-run home run, his sixteenth home run of the season, and his second of the game, scoring Hunter Pence, who was safe at first on a grounder that he had hit deep into hole at shortstop, that was grabbed by shortstop Wood, who then threw to third, where third baseman Pedro Alvarez tagged out Ryan Howard, who had earlier doubled, as he made a base running blunder, as he thought the ball would get through, for the inning’s second out, 6-5. The Phils then won the game in the tenth as, with a runner on second, and with one man out, Ibanez hits an RBI double, knocking in Pence, who had just doubled, giving the Phils the 6-5 walk-off extra-inning win.

Vance Worley pitched six innings, giving up four runs on seven hits, as he struck out seven. Brad Lidge pitched an inning, giving up a run on a hit and a walk, while striking out one. Juan Perez pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up a hit, while striking out one. David Herndon pitched a third of an inning, striking out the only man that he would face. Ryan Madson pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit, while striking out one. Antonio Bastardo (4-0, 1.34) got the win as he pitched a 1-2-3 tenth, striking out a batter. Jeff Karstens also received a no-decision as he pitched seven innings, giving up three runs on seven hits and two walks, while he struck out five. Joe Beimel received his seventh hold of the year as he pitched a third of an inning, giving up a run on a hit. Jose Veras blew his fifth save opportunity of the year as he pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up a run on one hit. Chris Resop pitched two-thirds of an inning, striking out the two batters that he would face. Tony Watson (0-2, 1.99) took the lost as he pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up a run on two hits.

The Phils had eleven hits in the game, with Raul Ibanez leading the team with three hits, two home runs and a double, as he knocked in four runs. Jimmy Rollins followed with two hits, both singles, knocking in two runs. Chase Utley (Single), Ryan Howard (Double), Hunter Pence (Double), Brian Schneider (Double), Michael Martinez (Single) and Vance Worley (Single), had the other six Phils’ hits.

The Phils (68-39, 1st East) will start a three-game series with the Rockies (51-56, 3rd West) tomorrow night. The game will be played at Coors Field and will start at 6:40 pm MDT. The Phils will send to the mound Cole Hamels (12-6, 2.61), who is coming off a lost to the Giants on July 27, as he went seven and two-thirds innings, giving up two runs on six hits and a walk, while he struck out six, in the Phils’ 2-1 lost. He will be trying to win his thirteenth start. The Rockies will try to counter with Jhoulys Chacin (8-8, 3.50), who is coming off a lost against the Dodgers on July 2. as he went six innings, giving up three runs, only one of which was earned, on three hits and a walk, while striking out two, in the Rockies’ 3-2 lost. He hopes to end the Phils’ present winning streak. The Phils will be out to start off their latest road trip on a good note.

During the night that they acquire Hunter Pence from the Astros, the Phillies’ bats decided to come out as they routed the Pirates, 10-3.

The Phils took a 1-0 lead in the first as, with a man on first, and with one man out, Chase Utley hits an RBI triple, scoring Dom Brown, who had earlier singled. The Phils then made it a 2-0 lead as Ryan Howard hits an RBI double, knocking in Utley. Two batters later, with runners on the corners, as Howard stopped at third base on a Shane Victorino single, and with still one man out, the Phils increased their lead as Raul Ibanez hits an RBI single, scoring Howard, to give the Phils a 3-0 lead, while sending Victorino on to third base. The Phils then broke the game wide open in the second as they batted around. The Phils started the inning as Wilson Valdez struck out, but reached first base as Pirates’ starter Charlie Morton threw a wild pitch. After Roy Halladay made the inning’s first out as he struck out failing to bunt Vladez over to second base, Jimmy Rollins singled, sending Valdez on to third. Now with runners on the corners and with one man out, Brown hits a grounder to second baseman Neil Walker who committed a fielding error, allowing Valdez to score, giving the Phils a 4-0 lead, while allowing Rollins to reach third base on the play. The Phils then took a 7-0 lead as Utley followed with a three-run home run, his eighth home run of the year, knocking in both Rollins and Brown. Four batters later, after Howard had flown out to left, for the inning’s second out, the Phils loaded up the base on a Victorino triple, an Ibanez walk, and Carlos Ruiz being hit by the pitch, sending Ibanez up to second base, before Valdez forced in a run with a walk, bringing in Victorino, giving the Phils an 8-0 lead, while moving both Ibanez and Ruiz up a base. The Phils then made it a 10-0 lead in the seventh as, with one man on, and with two men out, Rollins hits a two-run home run, his twelfth home run of the season, knocking in Ruiz, who had earlier walked. The Pirates finally got on the board in the eighth as, with two men on, and with two men out, Pedro Ciriaco hits a two-run double, knocking in Lyle Overbay, who had earlier walked, then stopped at third on Michael McKenry’s double and McKenry, who had just doubled, making it a 10-2 Phils’ lead. One batter later, the Pirates cut down the Phils’ lead to 10-3 as Xavier Paul hits an RBI single, scoring Ciriaco. That would be the final score as David Herndon pitched a 1-2-3 ninth.

Roy Halladay (13-4, 2.44) got the win as he pitched seven shut out innings, as he gave up just one hit, while he struck out five, as he became the first NL thirteen game winner. Drew Carpenter pitched an inning, giving up three runs on three hits and a walk, striking out a batter. David Herndon pitched a 1-2-3 inning, striking out two batters. Charlie Morton (8-6, 4.04) took the lost as he pitched only four innings, giving up eight runs, only six of which were earned, on nine hits, four walks, and a wild pitch, while he struck out four. Tony Watson pitched two 1-2-3 innings, striking out four. Jason Grilli also pitched two innings, giving up two runs on two hits and two walks, while striking out four.

The Phils had eleven hits in the ballgame, with Chase Utley (Single, Triple, Home Run, 4 RBIs) and Shane Victorino (Single, Double, Triple) both leading the team with three hits each, each being a hit short of hitting for the cycle. Jimmy Rollins followed with two hits (Single, Home Run, 2 RBIs). Dom Brown (Single, RBI), Ryan Howard (Double, RBI) and Raul Ibanez (Single, RBI), had the other three Phils’ hits. Wilson Valdez had the other Phil RBI, forcing in a run with a bases loaded walk, as the bats’ exploded after being kept silence for two straight nights by Giants’ pitching.

The Phils (66-39, 1st East) will continue their series with the Pirates (54-50, 3rd Central) with a game later today. The game will be played at Citizens Bank Park and will start at 7:05 pm Eastern. The Phils will send to the mound Cliff Lee (9-7, 3.05), who is coming off a lost against the Padres on July 25, as he went only four innings, giving up five runs on ten hits and a walk, while striking out five, in the Phils’ 5-4 lost. He will once more go for his tenth win of the seasonl, while trying to come back from his last start. The Pirates will counter with James McDonald (7-4, 3.95), who is coming off a win against the Braves on July 25, as he went five and a third innings, giving up eight hits, while striking out nine, in the Pirates’ 3-1 win. He will be trying to cool down the Phils’ bats. The Phils will be trying to finally give Cliff Lee his tenth win of the year.

For the second straight game the Phils’ bats are kept under control by Giants’ pitching as they lose 4-1.

The Giants took a quick 1-0 lead in the second as Pablo Sandoval hits a lead-off home run, his tenth home run of the season. The Giants added to their lead in the fourth as, with one man on, and with two men out, Nate Schierholtz hits an RBI single, scoring Aubrey Huff, who had just doubled, giving the Giants a 2-0 lead. The Giants then increased their lead in the seventh as, with runners on the corners, and with one man out, Aaron Rowand hits a grounder to third baseman Michael Martinez, who then bobbled the ball, allowing Shierholtz, who had earlier walked, then went to third on Chris Steward’s single, to score, giving the Giants a 3-0 lead, before throwing the ball away, allowing Rowand to be safe at first on the throwing error, while allowing Steward, who had earlier singled, to go around first second, and then third, before scoring, giving the Giants a 4-0 lead, before Rowand would move up to second base on the error. The Phils would finally get on the scoreboard in their half of the seventh as, with runners on the corners, and with two men out, Chase Utley, after ruining three previous opportunities to knock in a run, hits an RBI double, scoring Carlos Ruiz, who had earlier doubled, then went to third on pitcher Ramon Ramirez’s fielding error of a Martinez’s grounder, cutting the Giants’ lead down to 4-1, while sending Martinez, who had reached base on an error, on to third base. That would end up being the final score as Brian Wilson recorded his thirty-third save of the season by shutting down the Phils in the ninth.

Kyle Kendrick (5-5, 3.52) took the lost as he went six and a third innings, giving up four runs, only three of which were earned, on six hits and two walks, while he struck out four. Juan Perez pitched a third of an inning, getting out the only man that he would face. Brad Lidge also pitched a third of an inning, getting out the only man that he would face. Michael Stutes and David Herndon combined to pitch a pair of 1-2-3 innings. Tim Lincecum (9-8, 2.78) got the win as he threw six scoreless innings, giving up only three hits and four walks, while striking out six. Ramon Ramirez pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up an unearned run on a hit, while striking out one. Jeremy Affeldt received his eleventh hold of the year as he pitched an inning, giving up a hit. Sergio Romo collected his eighteenth hold of the season as he pitched a third of an inning, getting out the only man who he would face. Brian Wilson received his thirty-third save of the season by pitching a scoreless ninth, giving up a hit, while striking out two batters.

The Phils had just six hits in the game, a double by Jimmy Rollins, an RBI double by Chase Utley, a single by Shane Victorino, a double by Carlos Ruiz, a single by Kyle Kendrick and a pinch hit double by pinch hitter Ross Gload, as the Phils were kept off the scoreboard for most of the game by constantly going after Tim Lincecum’s bad pitches out of the strike zone, getting themselves out in the process.

The Phils (65-39, 1st East) will start a three-game series with the Pirates (54-49, 2nd Central), starting with a night game tonight. The game will be played at Citizens Bank Park and will begin at 7:05 pm EDT. The Phils will send to the mound their ace Roy Halladay (12-4, 2.55), who is coming off a win against the Padres on July 24, as he went eight innings, giving up just two runs on eight hits and a walk, while striking out eight, in the Phils’ 5-3 win. He will be out to stop the Phils’ present losing streak. The Pirates will counter with Charlie Morton (8-5, 3.69), who is coming off a no-decision against the Cardinals, as he pitched five and one-third innings, giving up three runs on six hits and five walks, in the Pirates’ 4-3 extra-innings win. He will be trying to keep the Phils’ bats cool. The Phils will be out to give Doc some runs support tonight, to end their present losing streak.

Four home runs, two from Chase Utley, help leads the Phils to victory as they hang on to defeat the Padres, 8-6.

The Phils took a quick 3-0 lead in the first as, with runners on the corners, and with one man out, Chase Utley hits a three-run shot to left, his fifth home run of the year, knocking in Jimmy Rollins, who had lead-off the inning with a double, then stole third base as Shane Victorino walked, and Victorino, who had just walked. The Padres would cut the Phils’ lead in the sixth as, with one man on, and with nobody out, Cameron Maybin hits a two-run home run, his sixth home run of the year, knocking in Mat Latos, who had earlier singled, cutting the Phils’ lead down to 3-2. Two batters later, now with one man out, the Padres tied the game up at three-all as Chase Headley hits a solo home run, his third home run of the season. The Padres then took the lead in the seventh as, with a man on third, and with two men out, Maybin hits an RBI single, scoring Logan Forsythe, who had earlier tripled, giving the Padres a 4-3 lead. The Phils tied the game up at four-all in their half of the seventh as, on one pitch, pinch hitter Ryan Howard hits a solo pinch hit home run, his nineteenth home run of the season. Three batters later, with two men on, and with still nobody out, Michael Martinez hits a three-run home run of his own, his second home run of the season, knocking in pinch runner Wilson Valdez, who was running for pinch hitter Ross Gload, who had got on base with a pinch hit double, then went to third on Chad Qualls’ wild pitch, and Rollins, who had just walked, then went to second on Qualls’ wild pitch, after Martinez had earlier missed on two bunt attempts, giving the Phils a 7-4 lead. Two batters later, now with one man out, Utley hits a solo home run, his sixth home run of the year, and his second home run of the game, giving the Phils an 8-4 lead. The Padres tried to come back in the eighth as, with the bases loaded, via singles by Ryan Ludwick and Chris Denorfia, with Ludwick stopping at second base, and a walk to Forsythe, moving both runners up a base, and with two men out, Antonio Bastardo threw a wild pitch, allowing Ludwick to score, cutting the Phils’ lead down to 8-5, while allowing Denorfia to reach third base, and Forsythe to move up to second base. Two batters later, after Rob Johnson has walked, reloading the bases, the Padres made it an 8-6 Phils’ lead, as pinch hitter Kyle Phillips walked, forcing in Denorfia, while Forsythe and Johnson both moved up a base. The Phils then got out of the inning as, after Phillips was replaced at first base by pinch runner Cory Luebke, Maybin hit into a 1-3 ground out. That would be it as Ryan Madson recorded his seventeenth save of the season by getting Kyle Blanks to strikeout, swinging.

Kyle Kendrick received a no-decision as he went five and two-thirds innings, giving up three runs on six hits and two walks, while he struck out one. Michael Stutes (5-1, 3.38) got the win as he pitched an inning and a third, giving up a run on two hits, as he struck out one. Antonio Bastardo pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up two runs on two hits, a wild pitch and two walks. David Herndon recorded his third hold of the year as he pitched a third of an inning, giving up a walk. Ryan Madson received his seventeenth save of the season as he pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit, while he struck out two. Mat Latos also received a no-decision as he went six innings, giving up three runs on five hits and two walks, as he struck out seven. Chad Qualls blew his fourth save opportunity of the year before taking the lost (4-5, 3.51), as he pitched a third of an inning, giving up five runs on four hits and a walk. Anthony Bass pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up a hit, as he struck out a batter. Josh Spence pitched a third of an inning, giving up a hit and a walk, while he struck out one.

The Phils had eleven hits in the ballgame, with Chase Utley leading the team with three hits, a single and two home runs, knocking in four runs, as he raised his average to .286. Jimmy Rollins (Double), Michael Martinez (Home Run, 3 RBIs), Shane Victorino (Single), Dom Brown (Double), John Mayberry, Jr. (Single), pinch hitter Ryan Howard (Home Run, RBI), pinch hitter Ross Gload (Double) and pinch hitter Carlos Ruiz (Double), had the other eight Phils’ hits, as the team came out swinging late in the game to win it.

The Phils (63-36, 1st East) will continue their series with the Padres (44-57, 4th West) with an afternoon game, already in progress.

Roy Halladay leaves the game early thanks to literally feeling the heat in Chicago as the Phils are torched by the Cubs, 6-1.

The Cubs took the lead in the first as, with two men out, Aramis Ramirez hits a solo home run, his seventeenth home run of the year, giving the Cubs a 1-0 lead. The Cubs then added to their lead in the third as, with the bases loaded, via a single by Rodrigo Lopez, a walk by Kosuke Fukudome, sending Lopez on to second base, and a single by Stalin Castro, moving both runners up a base, and with nobody out, Ramirez hits a sacrifice fly, scoring Lopez, giving the Cubs a 2-0 lead, while sending Fukudome on to third base. The Cubs then took a 3-0 lead as Carlos Pena hits an RBI single, scoring Fukudome, while sending Castro to second base. The Phils got a run back in the fourth as Jimmy Rollins hits a lead-off home run, his ninth home run of the year. The Cubs got the run back in the sixth as, with one man on, and with nobody out, Darwin Barney hits an RBI double, knocking in Koyie Hill, who had earlier walked, then stole second base, giving the Cubs a 4-1 lead. The Cubs then added another run two batters later as, with a man on third, as Lopez moved Barney over with a sacrifice bunt, 3-4, for the inning’s first out, Fukudome hits an RBI double of his own, scoring Barney. The Cubs then made it a 6-1 lead in the seventh as Pena hits a lead-off home run, his twentieth home run of the season, and the 250th home run of his career. That would be the final score as Carlos Marmol recorded a scoreless ninth.

Roy Halladay (11-4, 2.57) took the lost as he lasted only four innings plus one batter, as he was unable to handle the heat, giving up three runs on seven hits and a walk, while striking out only one batter. Andrew Carpenter pitched two innings, giving up two runs on three hits and a walk. David Herndon pitched two innings, giving up a run on two hits, while he struck out two. Rodrigo Lopez (2-2, 2.55) got the win as he went six and two-thirds innings, giving up a run on five hits, while he struck out one. James Russell pitched a third of an inning, getting out the only man that he would face. Jeff Samardzija pitched a 1-2-3 inning, striking out a batter. Carlos Marmol pitched a scoreless inning, giving up two walks, while striking out two.

The Phils had just five hits in the ballgame, with John Mayberry, Jr. leading the team with two hits, a single and a double. Jimmy Rollins (Home Run, RBI), Michael Martinez (Single) and Carlos Ruiz (Single), had the other three Phils’ hits.

The Phils (59-36, 1st East) will continue their series with the Cubs (39-58, 5th Central) with a night game tonight. The game will be played at Wrigley Field and will start at 8:05 pm EDT (7:05 pm CDT). The Phils will send to the mound Cliff Lee (9-6, 2.82), who is coming off a n0-decision against the Braves on July 9, as he went eight innings, giving up just one run on three hits and two walks, while striking out nine, in the Phils’ 3-1 lost. He will once again be going after win number 10. The Cubs will counter with Matt Garza (4-7, 3.97), who is coming off a no-decision against the Marlins on July 14, as he went seven innings, giving up six hits and three walks, while striking out six, in the Cubs’ 6-3 lost. He will be trying to give the Cubs the series win. The Phils will be out to even up the series.

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